Dark Inklings
by J. Maria
Summary: Vi is pulled into Dawn's discovery of the Carpathians with some unexpected outcomes.
1. Prologue 1: The Summons of the Slayer

Title: Dark Inklings  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: Joss owns all things Buffyverse, Christine owns all things Darkverse. I merely mash em together.  
Summary: Two worlds of hunters collide, and each seems to bring the other a bit of the salvation that was needed.  
A/N: Okay, this idea wiggled into my head while I was trying to do 31 Part Deux. Set after Dark Celebration (even though I haven't actually finished reading it - or Destiny, Secret, Demon or Hunger - and I don't even own Possession yet (I'm broke like that)). I really like for them all to be together because I rather like some better than others. I kinda have the main pairings in my head and they are going to be established characters from the Dark Series (obviously not the Hunters from the unread novels but I will be pulling from the handy-dandy family trees provided in said novels). Also, in a lifetime long, long ago, I once wrote OC Carpathian fic - I have no clue where they are at but it was about one of those lost families of Carpathians and their human/psychic lifemates. One even featured a daring elevator shaft rescue. Sigh. The good old days.  
A/N2: Also, Im kinda going to allude to the fact that certain other Dark hunters exist - I dont own them either.

**__**

Dark Inklings

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Prologue 1: The Summons of the First Slayer to the Carpathian Mountains

Victoria Louise Daniels had lived a very sheltered life. From the tender age of six months to the age of sixteen she'd been raised by a man who would teach her the lore of the vampire slayer. She learned at his knee, so to speak, until she watched him die by the hands of the Harbingers of the First Evil.

On that Day, from then on to be capitalized forever as that Day, Victoria Louise Daniels ceased to exist. It wasn't Victoria or Vicki that Rupert Giles brought back with him to Sunnydale, California, it was Vi. No last name required. She was a potential who's expiration had suddenly skyrocketed from at least a few years to possibly months and weeks at best.

And then that Night happened. The Night Buffy told them all that she was going to make them all slayers. It was like the sheriff deputizing every person able to lift a gun in all those lame Westerns her old watcher used to well, watch. The oh-shit-bars had been deployed and she'd been given a special perk package. Sure, she could beat up guys three times her size, she could heal faster than most people and her expiration date had risen slightly. But they'd lost so many that night, so many friends and allies hadn't made it out of that crater that had been Sunnydale.

But she had. She and Rona and at least a dozen more had survived and all over the world, girls were waking up stronger, and they were one of many instead of the Chosen One.

Out of the Sunnydale Survivors, Rona and Dawn had been her closest friends. Kit and Carlos had rounded them out to an uneven five. In the past six years the two slayers and three watchers often found themselves going up against the hordes of exuberant mini-slayers and new and inept watchers instead of the forces of evil. The world was theirs and the older members of the Council had given them a limited carte blanch. While Rona, Kit and Carlos all took that to mean play nice with the nicer demons and don't get caught killing the baddies, Dawn had taken that to mean go out and mingle with the good, the bad, and the bumpy forehead-ed. Somewhere along the way, Vi had gotten stuck being her conscience and her bodyguard. Not that she minded too much, Dawn always gave her at least one really good fight and damn good time.

Her role in protecting the three month younger girl had now brought her to the forest covered mountain region smack dab in the middle of the Slavic speaking countries. Dawn had been here doing research on Dracula. Apparently the undead creature was calling himself that had showed up in Sunnydale a few years before the First had had His hissy fit on the Hellmouth. Dawn had been geeked, apparently learning that the Mister Bela Lugosi wanna-be hadn't been the proclaimed Count. She had gone on and on about meeting his daughter or something. And then she'd stumbled on this particularly nasty nest of vamps and had found herself being saved by equally interesting creatures of the night.

Which was why Dawn was on temporary assignment in the Carpathian Mountains, being helpful to her saving demons. The High Council of Watchers had determined that while Dawn may be over the moon about them, that a slayer should be posted with her just to keep her safe. Seeing as half of the High Council was Dawn's family, it didn't come as much of a surprise. Even less shocking was that Dawn had asked Vi to be said slayer.

Vi had gotten all the dish on these Carpathians, sent over secure communication lines to her, and had her bag packed by the end of the conversation with a very hyper Dawn. Now she hefted her heavy black duffle bag over her shoulder as she stepped down from the train that had brought her to this remote and kinda freaky location. Vi sighed as she slipped one of her green ear buds from her iPod into her right ear, and pressed play on her Homesick play list. Jon McLaughlin's voice crooned at her through the ear bud as she started walking in the direction Dawn had instructed her to.

_I'm glad I never lived next to the water, so I could never get used to the beach. And I'm glad I never grew up on a mountain, to figure out how high the world could reach_That was about how far she got into the song before the vamp that had been stalking her attacked.


	2. Prologue 2: The WatchPup

Title: Dark Inklings  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: Joss owns all things Buffyverse, Christine owns all things Darkverse. I merely mash em together.  
Summary: Two worlds of hunters collide, and each seems to bring the other a bit of the salvation that was needed.  
A/N: Did I mention my undying love for Josef, the rapping phase-having Spiderman wannabe? Le Sigh. Also, reworking of Dark Flickers

**__**

Dark Inklings

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Prologue 2: The Watch-Pup

He was not a hunter. He was not going to be a hunter. His parents had encouraged his creativity to be anything else in order to keep him from becoming a hunter. Josef didn't really understand it, but he assumed that it was simply because they still viewed him as a child. Not that he'd done much to discourage it. He could get away with murder if he so wished, not that he did. But part of him wanted to be a hunter, to pick up what he assumed had been his birthright. His uncle and many of his brethren had taken up the lonely reins of the hunting life to keep his race safe. Why shouldn't he?

He'd even almost had his chance. When the abominations had started ravaging people in the local community of his homeland, the Carpathians had feared their lost men had chosen the life of the undead to escape the lack of feeling and light. But then Dawn Summers had arrived and told them of an equally disturbing fact of other vampires, at least several races of them. She'd met them. She'd killed some of them. She knew a whole separate race of young girls who would die young to kill said vampires. She was going to bring one of those girls here to kill the vicious nest of vampires and help draw the other society of human slayers away from his people. _She_ was arriving tonight to meet the Prince. And Josef was going to be her guide. There wasn't any real danger to her, and the non-Carpathian vampires were little trouble for his kindto destroy. It wasn't like he was going up against another one of the Jaguar people. He might be a fledgling, but he wasnt totally useless.

He'd been lurking in the shadows, watching for her from across the train station. He had specific instructions to not let himself be seen until she was a good distance away from the station. If he could have, Josef would have smiled to himself. But he was in the form of an owl, so that proved to be a bit difficult to manage. He was extremely proud of the fact that he could finally hold the image for himself without an older Carpathian holding it for him. He was concentrating so hard on focusing on the image of the owl that he didnt notice the train station was quickly emptying. Families and young couples were all that were left of the train's passengers, which meant he'd missed the girl hed been sent to watch over.

Cursing to himself, he quickly flew from his perch, straining his ears and eyes to catch sight of her. He didnt see her at first. The first thing he saw was a black duffle bag flying up in the air at him. Josef swerved quickly, holding on tightly to the image of the owl in his mind. The next sound that he heard was the tinny strains of a singer coming from a discarded iPod, covered quickly by the angry mutterings of the girl in question.

She was a blur of motion, her legs striking out at her three attackers. The first, a long haired woman went down in a cloud of dust and an ear-piercing scream. Then he heard her voice, drawing his eyes toward her.

"If I'd known you asses were gonna jump me this quickly, I would have put on my kick ass play list, not my settle me down play list. Asses. Blah blah, blah blah blah - I can't even quip!" the red haired womans fist slammed into the face of the closest male vampire. She ducked the punch of the other vampire. "Well, I could, but I guess its all lost in translation. Hmm, still havent seen that."

The conversation she was having with herself shocked and amused him so much that Josef lost all thought of the image of the owl hed been holding. Luckily, he was still a bit of a way from the fight and close to the ground when he lost it. He winced as he hit the ground. She didnt notice him as she raced passed the vampires towards a tree she used as a springboard to attack them. Her leg arched out in a powerful kick that impaled the first vampire on a broken tree branch. She tucked herself into crouch as the last enraged vampire rushed her. He tumbled over her back, but caught her with a unanticipated blow to the abdomen. She groaned as she landed with a thud as the vamp shoved her to the ground, shrieking in a Slavic tongue she probably didn't understood.

She kicked up and out at the rushing vamp, sending him sprawling back into the open clearing. She shoved herself off the ground and grabbed for her weapon from where it had landed. Josef finally shook himself out of the trance that shed seemed to put him under. He had to end this, to protect her. Her breathing was rushed, and he could hear the blood pumping through her veins. He growled to himself as the vampire lurched toward her. He called for the bolt of lightening hed seen his elders summon so easily and quickly incinerated the vamp who'd been charging at her again. He emerged from the shadows as the vampire burst into a shroud of dust, a nervous laugh escaping his lips.

Her head jerked up to search him out in the shadows. Her eyes scorched over his skin, and he couldn't take his eyes off her face. He'd already seen her body in an timeless and beautiful dance that he was convinced his own race must have danced to in the old days. There was something about her that called out to him, something foreign and yet eerily familiar. Josef waited until her eyes caught up with his again and he held her stare for what seemed like an eternity.

He heard it then, her heartbeat beginning to match his steady beat thump for thump. Her mouth parted gently, a small o of shock and her eyes widened before she guiltily hid her weapon. He made her nervous. The thought flitted across his mind and he couldn't help but smile to himself.

"Wow, that was weird, right? My cardboard cut out got slammed by lightening. My boss is gonna be mad. It was um, Jared Ackles stand-in for that movie were shooting," she blushed brightly as his eyes never left her face. "I have to run and get a new one. Hollywood is surely the realm of the devil. Bye now."

Josef barely had time to blink before she snatched up her bag and raced off in the direction of the chosen gathering place. Josef opened his mouth to speak, to say something to the girl who was affecting him so very deeply when he heard the song coming from the iPod.

_So how in the hell am I supposed to find the one that I love, one that I need, hidden so high, buried so deep_

Josef scooped up the green media player and smiled to himself. The girl's name was Vi, the one Dawn had told him about countless times and had even threatened to sic on him if he wasnt nice to her. He arrived back a few moments before she did, taking his time by slowly tracking her and only letting her completely out of his sights once he was confident that she had safely reached her destination.

__

Whats wrong, Josef?

Nothing. The slayer has arrived.

What happened, Josef? Why is she covered in dirt?

Her vampires attacked, she fought them off. It was amazing.

There was a touch of possessive pride in his voice as he showed his uncle and whoever else's mind was open to his the dance Vi had performed. Suddenly he was aware of her presence in the room. Dawn turned nervously to her friend. Josef smiled to himself as he listened to her conversation. His mother's gentle caress brought him out of his thoughts as he appeared beside her.His uncle demanded, tossing an accusing look his way.

"Vi, you are so very late. I have been stuck with the mind reading hot bodied men and gorgeous woman for far too long."

"Jeez, thanks I feel so loved right now," Vi sighed.

"What happened?"

"Unexpected slayage."

"Slayage? Please, please, please tell me it was of the vampy nature and not the Carpe nature," Dawn moaned.

"Yellow eyes and a bumpy forehead. But I didn't actually slay it," Vi shifted uncomfortably beside her, her eyes drifting over to the circle of curious and potentially deadly race behind her friend.

"You didn't? Vi -"

"I didn't actually drive the stake into his chest, no, but he's dead - crispy style dead. Nothing but ash dead."

"You lit him on fire?"

"Not really. He kinda got struck by lightening and disintegrated into vamp dust."

Dawn blinked at her as if shed grown three heads. Vi nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as her face grew hot again. Josef scooted away from his parents to hide behind a pillar closer to the whispering women.

"He kinda got struck by lightening?"

"Look all I cared about was the fact that the vamp was dead and that I was late for my first big pow-wow with the Carpathians. I didn't question the dusted vamp or the hot guy in the woods."

"Hot guy?" Dawn asked, leaning forward. Josef couldnt fight the grin on his face and leaned closer to hear them. "Hot guy like the gaggle of hot Carpathians guys behind me?"

"No, punk-rocker hot. He had green hair, he wasn't a vamp and he wasn't a -"

"Ugly neon green or dark green-light blue kind of green?"

"Does it matter?" Vi sighed.

"Yeah."

"It was greeny-blue I guess."

"Great. Just great. I'm gonna wring that brat's neck," Dawn groaned.

"What brat?"

"You saw a Carpathian male in the woods, Vi. You saw Josef." He should be insulted by the disgust in her voice, but Vi's reaction made him feel much better.

_"That_ was Josef the Brat?" Vi cried. "No way. I though you said he was a baby. This hottie was not a baby. He was a full grown man."

"No, he was a fledgling Carpathian who felt like being a big brat. Maybe I'll convince Byron that it's a great idea to kill his adopted nephew."

"Come on now, that's not even fair. I was merely helping out a damsel in distress," Josef emerged from behind the pillar to face them, a smile on his lips. Vi gasped in shock and Dawn only rolled her eyes.

"Don't you have anything better to do than to freak out my gal pal with your pyrotechnics?" Dawn muttered.

"I wasn't actually trying to talk to you," Josef bit out, turning back to Vi. He held out her iPod to her before speaking softly. "You dropped this."

She eyed his hand as if he held a snake out to her instead of the iPod. Her fingers skimmed the surface of his outstretched palm. Josef shivered visibly at the contact, his dark eyes boring into hers. Vi tucked it into her back pocket before breaking the eye contact.

"Aren't I supposed to be meeting a prince or something?" She murmured helplessly to Dawn.

"Mikhail and Raven are waiting for us," Dawn said loudly. Josef didn't budge out of their way, his eyes still locked on her face.

"Josef, let us pass," Vi said quietly.

Josef knew then in that instant that his thoughts earlier had been right. He could deny her nothing. He stepped aside, letting Dawn take her away. He felt his mother's probing caress in his mind.

__

She is my lifemate. I can feel it.


	3. Chapter One: The Unlikely Match

Title: Dark Inklings  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: Joss owns all things Buffyverse, Christine owns all things Darkverse. I merely mash em together.  
Summary: Two worlds of hunters collide, and each seems to bring the other a bit of the salvation that was needed.  
A/N: Actually had most of this finished by the time I posted the last chapter, but the muses just flew the coop and wow, how awesome are two big cups of coffee for shaking the hamster cage they currently live in, huh?

**__**

Dark Inklings

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Chapter One: The Unlikely Match

Vi felt the eyes on her before she'd even made it out the door. Lots and lots of speculating and even a dangerous pair or two of eyes all focusing on her. And she really hated the feeling. She was never the one everybody focused on and she was so grateful for that fact. When it was the Five of them, Dawn somehow always was the focal point. Vi was the background detail girl, not the one who got eyes plastered to her lacking body and bland features.

And she certainly was lacking around this crowd. The small gathering of people and Josef in the inn's hall had been stacked with gorgeous people. The only legitimate reason she could think of for all of that attention was that Josef had somehow relayed her stupid cover story from the woods back to them. That or they were all wondering how some as plain as her could be gifted with such power that only their beautiful race should possess. It stung her pride and her heart.

"Vi?" Dawn stood in front of where she had stopped, not even aware of said stopping. "Are you okay?"

"What?" Vi's eyes blurred as she saw the concern in her friend's eyes.

"I can kick the crap out of Josef for scaring you, Vi," Dawn smiled wickedly at her, in a thinly veiled attempt to shake the sorrow from her. Vi smiled at the thought of Dawn trying to protect her.

"Dawnie, aren't I late to meet Prince Charming?" she sighed, shaking the thought of being watched away.

"Right, the prince and his consort are waiting for us and we can leave Josef and his family all behind us."

"His family?" Vi peeked back over her shoulder at the green haired hunk and the equally stunning group.

"Yeah, the couple on the left are his uncle and aunt, Byron and Antoinetta, and on the right - you know, the hovering couple are his parents, Vlad and Eleanor."

"No way, they're way too young," Vi breathed quietly, her heart fluttering a bit as Josef's eyes caught hers. He was frowning at her, as if he didn't like something she'd said or done. Which was just stupid.

"Yeah, they're at least eight hundred years old. Probably older," Dawn sighed, pulling her onward. "Think Spike old multiplied like three times."

"And - and Josef?" Vi blushed faintly at the mention of his name, even as said mention slipped over her own lips. Dawn merely snorted.

"Josef's a baby compared to them. He's only twenty-three or so. He can barely manage his powers. The prince is meeting us in here," Dawn pushed open the doors to see the sitting room the prince was using. "Sorry we're late. Vi got intercepted by some bad puppies."

"Puppies?" Vi groaned, remembering the old code word for vampires. Then she got a look at the Prince of the Carpathians. Oh, yeah, her ho-hum looks were gonna get on famously here in the land of drop dead gorgeous.

?

Josef watched her being led off by the human liaison and caught the sadness that poured over her. His parents were pulling at him, and all he wanted to do was race after her and hold her tightly to him. She was perfect, the one the gods had granted to him alone - and now she was thinking of him in a diaper. Josef frowned. That stray thought could not be good.

"Josef, you are young. You are mistaking lust for lifemate, that is all," his mother said quietly, turning him away from the girl's direction.

"Mother, I've felt lust, this is not it," he sighed, looking pleadingly between his uncle and father for support. But he wasn't getting much. They thought him still a child, and while he understood the fact that it was partially his own fault it still irritated him. "She is my mate, I can feel it."

"That is impossible, Josef," she shook her head. "You are too young to have found your lifemate. It has -"

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Never happened before? It used to happen all the time. Weren't my birth parents such a case?

They were of a different generation. You have not yet reached maturity.

Perhaps I was not destined to wait as everyone else was. I feel it in my very core, this girl - this slayer was born for me.

And do you also think the moon and stars were hung for you, boy?

Josef argued, not trusting himself to word it properly when he could think it at them so much more clearly. Bryon countered.

"No, I know they were not!" Josef yelled, anger at their disbelief too great to be contained any longer. "But I know that she was brought into our lives to complete the missing -"

"You know nothing of the missing half of your soul, impudent pup," Bryon ground out.

"Bryon, there's no need -" Antoinetta tried to soothe her mate.

"He has not waited the centuries the rest of us endured! It's as Eleanor says, he is mistaking lust for lifemate."

"Perhaps I am only better at reading the signs."

His head lifted suddenly, and before they could get another word from him, Josef tore off down the corridor. Something was not well with his lifemate. He could feel it in his bones.

?

"Am I supposed to curtsy or Your Highness him or something?" Vi hissed to Dawn.

"No. I don't think," Dawn chewed her lip nervously.

"You _don't think so_?"

"Well, I've never done it."

"What exactly did you do?" Vi asked her suspiciously.

"When?" Dawn murmured, glancing back over her shoulder.

"I don't know, the first time you met with the Prince?" Vi snapped.

"She called it pulling a Willow, I believe," Mikhail Dubrinsky gave Vi a smile that would have melted a weaker woman. Vi was lucky she wasn't a gooey mess. Yet. "You must be the infamous Vi."

"Oh, that so doesn't sound good. I deny everything she told you."

"You deny then that you are a compassionate and level-headed young woman gifted with grace and agility?" Mikhail chuckled.

"Well, when you put it that way, then no. I claim all the nice pretty things she said about me," Vi grinned back at him, shooting a glance over at Dawn. And suddenly she felt eyes on her back, close to piercing through her jacket. Dawn was frowning and Mikhail was looking over her shoulder curiously.

"You should not be so close," the newcomer practically growled. Vi carefully turned around, trying to put her body between the newcomer and the Prince. She so didn't like the tone of the voice behind her. She was shocked to see Baby Josef standing there behind them.

"I'm not going to hurt the Prince," Vi murmured looking between Dawn and Josef.

"I wasn't talking to you," Josef said between clenched teeth.

"What?" Dawn's eyes shot open wide as she looked back over to Mikhail and Vi.

"A Mated male should not be so close to another male's lifemate," Josef ground out.

"And whose lifemate is the Prince close to?" Vi asked in disbelief, knowing the answer but so not wanting to hear it. Because it just could not be true. Not at all.

"Mine," Josef growled, his eyes leveling to hers.


	4. Chapter Two: Prerequisites to Lifemating

Title: Dark Inklings  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: Joss owns all things Buffyverse, Christine owns all things Darkverse. I merely mash em together.  
Summary: Two worlds of hunters collide, and each seems to bring the other a bit of the salvation that was needed.  
A/N: A bit of Vi being unsure and Josef growing up.

**__**

Dark Inklings

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Chapter Two: The Prerequisites to Lifemating

"But I'm not a psychic!" Vi cried three hours later, her hands raking through her short hair. "I thought it was you know, necessary for the whole part of the girl in question not dying during conversion! Haven't all of the other new Carpathian females been half Carpathian or psychics? And - I thought Josef was the damn baby!"

"Well, from my research, only half of the new lifemates were psychics. The other half were either half Carpathian or descended from the Jaguar people. Its kinda interesting -"

"My getting handed an over possessive baby, who's claiming that I'm his lifemate is just _kinda interesting_, Dawn?" Vi snapped, whirling around to face her. "It's awful! I - I can't be this unlucky. This is all your fault!"

"Destiny bitch slapping you twice is my fault how?" Dawn asked, leaning forward on her knees, lecture forgotten in the face of the slayer's tantrum.

"If you weren't all research girl and just _dying _to know all about Carpathians and Dark-Hunters and Lords, I wouldn't even be here, and Josef wouldn't know about me at all!" Vi cried, tossing herself back on the pillows of the massive bed of her suite in Mikhail's house. There had been a lot of fighting over who was going to room her now that the whole 'Josef's lifemate' issue had come up. It was safer for nearly everyone if she just stayed in the room across from Dawn's like planned.

"And then that poor child would be doomed to walk eternity never knowing you," Raven Dubrinksy's voice floated over her and calmed her. Both women turned to look at the petite beauty. She was only a few inches taller than Vi, and was already showing the signs of pregnancy. Vi could only guess that was what the urgency to find lifemates for the males was all about. To repopulate the species.

"Raven, this is -"

"Vi, yes, I do remember her from a few hours ago. Indeed, after Josef's declaration, I doubt any of us could forget her."

"Great, so now that infamous part is stuck there like glue," Vi groaned. Embarrassment and an overwhelming sense of wrongness swamped her senses. This should not be happening. She was supposed to be the undercover one, the calm, collected warrior who was going to make things easier for the poor persecuted Carpathian people. But no, now she was up to her neck in complications. She pushed hersef up and rubbed a hand over her eyes.

"Vi?" A masculine voice purred behind her, and Vi immediately felt her spine stiffen like Giles on an Oops? day.

Josef stared down at her lowered head, which he noticed she ducked the instant she heard him behind her. The rest of her remained coiled and tense, waiting for the attack.

__

Because this - this is just wrong!

Vi's thoughts hit him hard, and Josef resisted laying a hand on her. His hands itched to pull her close, to join with her, to claim her as the gift she was. But she was tense and coiled and not at all receptive to the idea of being a lifemate. Yeah, try telling that to his feral, mate driven mind.

"Josef, you are not welcome in these rooms," Raven said quietly from behind them. _Yet_. It hovered between them, and they all knew that the yet was attached.

"You're distressing her," Josef snarled, coming on stronger than he should have.

Vi's head jerked up before him, her fingers clenching into tight fists. An alluring blush spread just below the collar of her soft yellow tank top and brushed out like angel wings on the tops of her bare shoulders. Tight black jeans clung to her athletic form, and showed the world nearly everything worth seeing. Nearly. Need and hunger clenched tightly in his belly, his fingers itched to drag her to him, claim her and hide her away from prying eyes.

Josef's eyes skimmed over her shoulder to see her watching him through the mirror that had been moved. It had once hung over the dresser, but now it leaned away from it, its view on the window just past the bed she now stood before. He nearly bit his tongue off when he saw the front half of the view she made.

It wasn't as if he'd never seen a woman, lusted after a woman before, because he had. And not one of them had ever looked like his Vi, none of them had looked back at him with that mix of confusion and wanting and fear before. And none of them had had the downright sexy gleam in their eyes that Vi had right this very second. His heart sped, and he knew hers did too.

"Stop looking at me like that," Vi murmured, her eyes lowering away from his in the mirror. "They aren't distressing me. _You_ are."

"I think perhaps we should let Vi get some rest."

"Yeah, you must have boatloads of jetlag, Vi," Dawn glanced between the two of them again before settling her glare on him. "Don't you have stuff to do, Josef?"

"I'm doing it now," he snapped.

__

Josef, son, you were warned not to rush her

I am not rushing her, but I need to speak with her.

Youre not thinking clearly, son,

, his mothers' voice was high and panicked. Vlad was even-toned and concerned.

How could he think clearly when Vi was standing there before him, her eyes watching his? Wearing what she was, standing as she was - facing him - huh?

"It's cool, we need to talk."

"Huh?" Dawn gaped at them, and Josef felt like gaping at her as well.

"It's not like he's gonna try anything, and even if he did, I'm not some defenseless little airhead who can't handle herself."

"You would never come to harm while I'm around -"

"Yeah, there was someone else who said that to me once upon a time. He's dead now because of me," the blush vanished, her words shocking them all back into the uncharged mind frame they needed to be in to think rationally.

"Are you sure, Vi?" Dawn asked softly, concern clear in her face.

"Yeah. We're just gonna talk."

"Okay."

__

Don't you try and pressure her, Josef,

I would -

Not be the first Carpathian male who has attempted to do so, Josef. You start with good intentions, but the compulsion to claim and mate and bind are so very strong. She's not ready for that just yet, little one,

Raven's voice said sharply in his mind, echoing Mikhail's thoughts that he too had shared with the younger Carpathian. Raven watched him sharply, and even though Mikhail was not present in the flesh, he was firmly in the mind of his lifemate.

"I'tll be fine, honestly!" Vi shouted, watching the darting eyes between the Queen and the boy who would be her lifemate.

Josef caught the tail end of her thought and glanced down at her. The jerk. Vi shoved past him, ignoring the shiver of anticipation that flicked across her skin as fact that they were going to be alone together hit her. Raven and Dawn left, closing the door with a small click behind them, the sound echoing loudly in her ears. She raised her eyes to Josef's face.

"Just for the record, kid, I think you're absolutely crazy."

"I am your -"

"I know what you _think_ I am, but honestly, its all kinda hokey."

"Destiny is hokey?" Josef fought the grin from forming on his lips.

"No, destiny is a bitch. The convenience of you finding your lifemate in me is just a little farfetched, dontcha think?" Vi frowned harder at him, somehow knowing the little twit was laughing at her.

"No. It's destined to be. I've seen it happen this way before. Out of the blue and -" Josef's hand had reached up to brush a strand of her hair from her eyes. Vi jerked away, hastily taking a step back.

"Okay, but I'm not like any of those other lifemates of your people. I'm not psychic or Puma -"

"Jaguar."

"Whatever. I personally think you're nuts."

"So you've said."

"It's an odd ass infatuation, though personally, I would have picked Dawn to obsess on, but whatever -" Vi shook her head at him, a sad smile on her lips.

"Stop it!" Josef's hand reached out to cup her cheek, the force in his voice was strong enough that Vi didn't even consider pulling away. Her eyes made her look innocent, years younger than she actually was and Josef wanted nothing more than to pull her closer into himself and keep her safe. Gone was the teasing boy hed been, the annoying child many of his elders thought him to be, simply because of the girl in his arms. Vi shivered as he dragged the pad of his thumb along the line of her jaw. "I could never have picked anyone other than you. You are the light to my darkness, the salvation of my very soul."

And though he knew he promised his mother and all of the other older mated Carpathians that he would go slow for her, Josef couldn't even think of stopping the descent of his mouth to hers. Vi wasn't sure she even wanted him to stop.


	5. Chapter Three: Almost Lover

Title: Dark Inklings  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: Joss owns all things Buffyverse, Christine owns all things Darkverse. I merely mash em together.  
Summary: Two worlds of hunters collide, and each seems to bring the other a bit of the salvation that was needed.  
A/N: the mind and it's lovely contradictions.

**__**

Dark Inklings

__

Chapter Three: Almost Lover

What Josef lacked in intimate knowledge, he made up in fervor. In spades. The first few seconds of the kiss had been all banging teeth and smooshed lips, fingers that didn't quite know where they belonged yet, and lack of breath in her lungs. A giggle escaped her lips, the sound getting swallowed by his mouth on hers. He pulled back slightly, a questioning look on his eyes.

__

I'm not

It's not that. Just, after everything I've been through, I'm the only one who could be kissed to death. It's funny

I'm not going to kiss you to death. That'd be like me killing myself.

that_ bad._.

"Did we just do the creepy mind-talk thing? Cause I'm pretty sure I shouldn't know how to do that," Vi shivered, pulling herself away from Josef, her arms crossed over her chest like she could ward him off.

"We did, and its not creepy."

"Okay, me and my friends were once targets of an evil that could show and talk for itself only in the brains of people it was trying to manipulate. I don't like all the psychic stuff going down in my head."

Vi turned away from him, her fingers clenching into fists as she tried to reign in her hormones. Josef was stiff behind her, his hurt and unease pouring into her. Oh, that wasn't fair. She turned and glared at him. Which only confused him more.

"Do not even pull that manipulative card on me."

"I didn't mean to -"

"I'm already freaked out by this newsflash, so I really don't need the extra pressure of you being all hurt because I can't cope with it! I've rolled with so many punches in the last five years you can't even imagine, but this - _this_ new little hiccup in my already destiny full plate is just a little nerve wracking!" Vi dragged her hand through her hair, wincing as it caught on a still knotted tangle from her earlier fight. Tears of frustration clouded her vision and crying just wasn't an option. He reached for her, but she shied away. Contact with him obviously wasn't an option either, because part of her wanted to do nothing but get lost in his kiss again. "We're setting boundaries, until -"

__

There is nothing that you feel that I don't feel just as strongly.

"And that is number one! No mind murmurs, no imaginary caresses or whatever other telepathic crap you guys can do. You talk like a normal person."

"But I'm not a normal person. And neither are you!"

"Just a hint, don't tell a girl she's not normal when the object is get into her pants," Vi flushed, but pulled her best Faith-as-mentor imitation out there.

"That's not the object! I -"

"Should go now. Because right now, that's all I can think of on an empty stomach," Vi skirted back to the door and held it open wide for him to leave. Josef's mouth hung open in confusion.

"I'll have someone send you up a plate," Josef wasn't sure where the words had come from, but they'd left his mouth before he could even think about it.

"Thank you," and then she made a mistake. Vi touched him, a single caress to his forearm that sent shivers to his very core, his eyes darkening with desire and the urge to claim. Vi felt her stomach drop, and her fingers dug into his arm.

Suddenly he was on her, his lips bruising hers as she fumbled back against the wall, the door knob slamming against the wall, denting against the stone façade. One arm loped around his shoulder so her hand could bury it in the surprisingly soft dyed green hair of his. Her right arm balanced her weight on his forearm. His right arm curved around her waist, pulling her lower body closer to him, while his left slipped behind her neck, his thumb caressing the sensitive spot just behind her ear. Vi moaned, needing the welcome friction.

Still using her right arm for balance, she pushed up off the floor, wrapping her legs around his waist. Vi moaned again, the contact sending her mind reeling. She rotated her hips against him. Her breath came out in a needy whimper. He groaned against her lips, angling his head to deepen the kiss.

"Oh my god! I need acid for my eyes!"

Josef's head dropped from hers, and she could feel him growl against her bare shoulder. Dawn stood less than a foot away from them, hands crossed and a pained look on her face. Vi took a deep breath and slowly unwound her legs from his waist, dropping her hands to her side. Josef pressed a small, tender kiss to her skin before he stepped back from her.

"I'll bring a plate up," he murmured.

"No need, I was just coming to do a kitchen raid," Dawn said too brightly. Vi couldn't help giving her a dazed look. "Faith-speak 101 about slaying. Thought I'd err on the side of caution, considering."

"Faith-speak?" Josef frowned.

"Don't even think it, Summers," Vi shook her head, remembering it too clearly. "We're gonna go get something to eat. We'll talk boundaries later."

Vi kept her head down as she let Dawn lead her away. She pinched the arm Dawn had grabbed.

"Ow! What, did you want to have sex with him up against the wall. Oh, god, I'm gonna be sick."

"No, yeah, dammit, I don't know!" Vi leaned against her. "Dawnie, what the hell am I supposed to do?"


	6. Chapter Four: Bleeding Heart

Title: Dark Inklings  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: Joss owns all things Buffyverse, Christine owns all things Darkverse. I merely mash em together.  
Summary: Two worlds of hunters collide, and each seems to bring the other a bit of the salvation that was needed.  
A/N: I still haven't figured out who should be my Josef, and by be, I mean an actor who should be him. (Unlike in my Kit/Tolly fic where Tolly is so totally Henry Cavill. Ooh, I might make him Christian Cooke who played Ross Jenkins on Doctor Who). Who do you think Josef should be?

**__**

Dark Inklings

__

Chapter Four: Bleeding Heart

She hid out in Dawn's room for the rest of the night, mainly because they had to do a conference call to Giles and then keep the rest of the Oops Day Troop on the up and up. They could barely believe it. And then Dawn told them all about her new boy-toy and catching them in the clothed version of the act.

"OH MY GOD!" Kit's jaw dropped over the webcam image, which she, Carlos and Rona had crowded around.

"That's better then when Dawn hit on Connor!"

"Hey! _That_ was a drunken bet!" Dawn pouted.

"Did anyone forget that I have a penis and I don't care about this crap?"

"You never use it, so we figured it fell off," Rona smiled cheekily at him.

Kit burst out laughing at the exchange. Rona and Carlos had an uneasy tension going on. It had started when she walked in on him coming out of the shower, and ended with him sprawled out on the floor under her, naked and bleeding. It was kinda funny, seeing as there had been sanctioned slayage involved and naked stories were always funny. It didn't help that it had been Faith and Connor who'd come to their aid. Carlos only glared at her before turning back to face the camera.

"Wake me when you chicks are done clucking over the dudes," Carlos groaned, letting his head bang on the table.

"We researched this new vamp cult of yours all night," Kit shrugged when Dawn raised her brow. "He didn't get a nap or any sleep, really."

"Ah, the Cranky Carlos. Research? Didja find anything? Cuz all Vi found was her tongue down Josef's throat," Dawn smirked at Vi who only jerked the hood of her sweatshirt further over her head to cover her eyes.

"We get to see this boy that our little Vi's been molesting?" Rona grinned, leaning forward.

"Little? I'm older than all three of you!" Vi cried.

"You're younger than me," Carlos muttered from behind his arms. "By a year."

"By seventeen days," Vi huffed. "You freaky December baby."

"And the answer would be no. We can't disclose any actual pictures of the Carpathians because of that group of whack jobs that want them dead," Dawn sighed, leaning back against her pillows. Then she straightened and a huge smile broke out across her face. "But now I can show you my new sketches!"

"No! Dawn," Vi warned.

"No, its cool. Its the sketches of that male Russian model who came to my art class last week," Dawn smiled, lying through her teeth over the communication lines just in case someone managed to hack them. Not that it was likely, but just in case.

She flipped past the sketches she'd done of Mikhail and Raven and a few select others before flipping through to the one she'd done of Josef. Rona pinched Carlos, who peeked over his arm to see the picture.

"Holy hell, he's _hot_," Kit grinned.

"He's really not," Dawn and Carlos said at the same time.

"He's not that bad, you just didn't like his attitude. Because you're used to his type," Rona shrugged.

"Kind of immune to it," Dawn agreed. "I grew up around ridiculously good looking and powerful guys like Spike and Angel, and even a bit like Riley."

"Okay, can we stop fawning over _the model_," Jealousy streaked through Vi, but only just barely. So what if Kit, Dawn, and Rona thought her Josef was hot? "Back to the problem. Problems. You researched?"

"Yeah," Carlos finally perked up. "We hit up that tattoo Dawn sketched off that vamp that attacked the village just south of the inn."

"This one," Dawn showed Vi the picture in her sketch book.

"It looks really familiar. Where have I seen it before?" Vi's brow furrowed.

"What did you guys get?" Dawn leaned forward, her elbows on her knees as she sat Indian style.

"The Bleeding Heart cult."

"Well, duh, it's a bleeding heart," Vi rolled her eyes, staring at the image of a classic red Valentine's heart that tore down the center, revealing an actual bleeding heart oozing black blood. It was kind of gross.

"No, don't you see, the little white flower, just under the tear in the red heart? It's a Bleeding Heart flower," Carlos pointed to the tiny flower in his copy of the sketch.

"Thank you, Neville Longbottom," Rona rolled her eyes.

"A Bleeding Heart flower in a real bleeding heart, who thinks up this crap?" Dawn shook her head.

"Black hearts are associated with - well, with turned Carpathians, aren't they?" Vi murmured slowly.

"Yeah, because their blood turns poisonous or something after they've turned. Its a corruption of what they're supposed to be."

"This group is based out of Prague."

Carlos, Kit and Rona all nodded, varying shades of disbelief and confusion in their eyes and faces. Dawn's eyes widened as she made the connection. Vi shook her head.

"I knew that damn tattoo looked familiar!"

* * *

Josef could only be cooped up in his rooms for so long before he snapped and found himself pacing outside her empty bedroom. He could feel her heart beating in Dawn's room and he ached to push her door down and finish what they started hours earlier. He was just about to leave for a quick pre-dawn flight when the door to Dawn's room was yanked open and Vi literally propelled herself into him.

Vi grunted as she collided into him for the third time in less than twenty-four hours. Hell, in less than ten hours. She groaned as she looked up at him. Concern and worry clouded his eyes.

__

I know I'm crossing the line, but are you okay?

"No, um, yeah. I um..."

"We have to go see the Prince," Dawn said loudly behind her, making her wince a bit. "Hey Baby Joe, just a FYI, the mind talk stuff is kinda freaky."

"It's Josef, Summers. And I'm working on it," Josef snapped at her, only making her grin at him more. "You have to see the Prince, at this hour?"

"We've got a lead on the vamp nest. Its important."

__

Then I'll send my uncle Byron a message to him.

You can't do the mind thing with him?

I'm not that close a friend with the Prince. He only does the mind thing with me when he wants to.

"You two are so grossing me out, can we please go see the Prince now?"

Mikhail, Raven, Bryon, Antoinetta and two other couples were waiting for the three of them in a large drawing room. Vi swallowed nervously as she made her way into the room. She was sandwiched between Dawn and Josef, both of them good looking people, and now faced eight other ridiculously good looking people. Couldn't they grow at least one ordinary looking person? Did they all have to be so pretty?

__

You are the most captivating of them all.

Josef had his hand resting on the small of her back, ready to pull her back away from the other males in a heartbeat if necessary.__

Liar.

"We're sorry to interrupt your evenings, and wow, I so did not know there were going to be so many of you here," Dawn said breathlessly, taken back by the additional couples as well.

"Please sit, won't you?" Raven smiled brightly at them, gesturing to the empty sofa.

"Forgive me, may I introduce you to my brother Jacques and his mate Shea, and my daughter Savannah and her mate Gregori," Mikhail smiled at the two girls before turning to the others. "This is Dawn Summers and Vi -"

"My lifemate," Josef finished.

"Really?" Savannah quirked an eyebrow his way. She, Josef and his brother Benjamin were all of a similar age, and had often been thrown together as children. Still, it was odd that a male as young as Josef had found his mate. But it had happened. Barack and Syndil were proof of that.

"Prague!" Vi blurted out, her cheeks flushing at the looks she was getting.

"The city?" Savannah frowned, pulled out of her thoughts.

"What Vi means is that we have a lead on who's running the vampire - um, our type of vampires, the demon-based ones - cult. Yeah, and its not good," Dawn sighed.

"We have Drussues," Vi blurted it out again, getting confused stares from the Carpathians.

"Forgive me, I'm not as in tune with the world as I once was, but what are drussues?" Mikhail frowned, leaning forward.

"Even if you were bar crawling every weekend, the word would still be weird. We kinda coined it," Dawn winced, blushing and finally feeling every bit embarrassed as Vi did.

"So, what are drussues?" Bryon asked.

"A Person," Vi and Dawn said together.

"See, it all really started with ConFest -" Vi started explaining.

"Which is also about a person," Dawn interrupted. "Connor Angel, our friend and fellow demon hunter."

"Right. We called it ConFest because it was the first time Dawn's sister let Connor within a hundred yards of her -"

"Just because his dad was all swoony over Buffy like forever ago doesn't mean I'm gonna fall for Connor!" Dawn blurted out angrily. The situation had happened three years ago and yet it still irked her.

"Angel was the demon-made vampire that Buffy fell for when she first moved to the Hellmouth," Vi explained when all she got were more blank stares.

"He had a soul that made him all loveable. Until there was the sex and the fish/teacher/friend killing spree he went on," Dawn rolled her eyes.

"I thought these kinds of vampires couldn't breed," Gregori frowned, his thoughts going to their own difficulty of breeding.

"They can't. They can only turn other humans, and make a childe, with an e, that way," Vi shook her head, trying to ignore Josef. Did he have to stand almost on top of her?

"Except for Connor who was apparently prophesied about. His dad is Angel and his mom was Darla, a vampire who Angle slew to save Buffy and then an evil law firm brought her back to life only to have her be turned again by Drusilla. See, Darla was Angel's sire, who in turn sired Drusilla after he drove her crazy. Then Drusilla sired Spike, who fell for her hardcore for most of his un-life."

"Until Buffy."

"Until Buffy. And the chip," Dawn added.

"Chip?" Shea asked.

"The government put a chip in his brain to keep him from hurting humans. It got defective like three years later and they had to remove it , but it's cool, Spike got his soul back," Dawn shrugged giving them a smile.

"Anyway. So three years ago, we're planning ConFest - um, that we would be me, Dawn, and our friends Carlos, Kit and Rona -"

"The original ODT."

"ODT?" It was Raven's turn to ask the question they were all pondering.

"Oops Day Troop. We tend to get into weird situations a lot," Vi blushed again. "Anyway, so we're all at ConFest - the six of us, with Andrew as our chaperone - why was he our chaperone? He can barely take Kit on much less the Destroyer and two slayers?"

"Apparently he was an adult. Whatever, a man who collects as many toys as he does should not be considered an adult," Dawn shook her head.

"Ahem," Jacques coughed, getting their attention.

"We had a crasher. In the form of Drusilla," Vi shrugged in apology for the ramble.

"We thought she was there to eat us, but apparently she just wanted to tell us that the stars were whispering to Miss Edith again -"

"Did we mention that she's still crazy?"

"- and how she had to see her little brother and warn him. She won't attack us, but she's still a menace."

"Why didn't you slay her?" Savannah asked. "You said there were two of your slayers there."

"Because it's _Drusilla_. She's the only member of the Scourge of Europe to never be slain. Buffy killed Darla, Angel, and Spike. It's like a sacrilege for us to kill her," Dawn made a 'duh' face at them.

"Besides, with our kind of luck the Powers That Suck On So Many Levels would bring her back with a soul and triple the crazy factor. Sometimes, you just don't tempt fate," Vi's eyes widened in horror at the thought.

"We know we should, but the Powers have seen all of the others brought back and tortured/redeemed. It's - it's not a good mix," Dawn sighed.

"What does this have to do with the vampires here? Or with Prague and drussues?" Mikhail sat back then, his fingers tightening around Raven's.

"Well, those are our Drussues. Or our Drusilla Issues," Dawn sighed.

"We've only see her like three or four times in the last three years. Connor sees her more often than we do, although he's actually threatened her more than we have. She never attacks us and the last time she tracked the ODT down it was to show off a tattoo," Vi chewed at her bottom lip nervously, completely aware that Josef was sending her soothing thoughts to make her less nervous, which only led her to feel more nervous.

"A tattoo of a red Valentine's Day heart ripped apart showing a real bleeding black heart inside with a white bleeding heart flower at the top of the tear," Dawn held up the sketch of it.

"It's at the small of her back, which is kind of scandalous, seeing as all I've ever seen her in are flowing 19th century outfits," Vi took a deep breath before continuing. "She also talked about going back to Prague, and hoping for a better reception this go around. The last time she and Spike were in Prague, Dru was almost killed by a mob and was left weak, slightly naïve and childlike."

"A bleeding heart," Shea murmured.

"And this new influx of vampires all came from Prague, most of them with a similar tattoo," Jacques picked up his mate's train of thought.

"Dru's in Prague and the vamps are rallying to her. The Cult of the Bleeding Heart," Dawn finished. "Not a bad following for a former psychic nun."

"Thus, _our_ Drussues," Mikhail murmured.

* * *

In an abandoned warehouse in Prague, a raven haired woman swayed beneath the painted stars on the ceiling. Her underlings cowered in the shadows, none of them wanting to bring their mistress the news. Her blood red gown clung to her, the tiny diamonds glittering in the dim light, the back of the gown dipping so low that it showed off the heart tattoo on her lower back.

"The pretty pixie managed to follow the breadcrumbs the stars left for her," Drusilla crooned to no one in particular.

"We lost three of our hunters to this new threat, mistress. Slayers and these - creatures."

"Noble, noble, noble men with fangs. Better breed, that listens to the moon and the stars. They didn't heed the stars warnings, and had to pay the boatman's toll," Drusilla giggled at her own little joke before sobering. "The little one waits for what's right and good. There isn't a hope."


End file.
